Silence Of The Night
by enragedpurple
Summary: Nakamura has just witnessed the death of her parents at a very young age. Naruto takes her into his family and raises her as his own, but when the time comes, will she question who her real parents are? Will she want to know why she is the only Puppet Master in the Leaf?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This was a random idea that came to me when talking to one of my friends who is OBSESSED with Naruto. I am just writing this for fun, and as of yet, have no real plot. Anyway, one thing you should know about me - my knowledge of Naruto is very limited. I am learning more and more, thanks to the mentioned friend, but I still only know a little. There might be some errors, so you can correct me - just do so nicely, please?**_

_**Don't know how serious I am about this story yet, so don't count on too many chapters just yet.**_

She wondered how she could have gotten so far from her village in such a short amount of time. She didn't even know where she was, to be honest. All she knew was that the sand had long since faded and she was getting tired of walking. And that she wanted her parents…

_Mommy, daddy, why aren't you moving?_

She shuddered at the memory and clutched her tattered cloak tighter. She could still smell the blood on it and grimaced slightly. Beside her, a sudden movement caught her eye. She let her blue eyes snap in the direction, to her relief only finding her puppet there. She still had to remember that it was there… she wasn't very good at that.

"Hi, Pantin. I forgot you were there," She smiled weakly, her voice barely a whisper. The puppet bobbed its' head, its' matted and bloody black hair falling in chunks around its' shoulder. She sighed, stopping in her tracks to stare the doll in its' lifeless eyes. "Where are mommy and daddy, Pantin?" She mumbled, lifting her chakra-tinted-blue hand to touch the dolls' face. Pantin moved slightly at this, reminding her yet again that she had control over it. Smiling weakly with her small lips, she moved in and pulled the hovering doll into a hug.

"It's all right, Pantin. We'll be fine, right?" She mumbled, pulling away and making the doll nod reassuringly. Pantin then shifted behind her once again as they started to walk on in the forest.

_Mommy, Daddy, you have to wake up! Come on! The housekeeper will be mad if she finds you in this mess on the floor!_

She stumbled then, falling face first into the mud. Her hands snapped out in front of her small body instinctively, Pantin thankfully breaking her fall. She fell on top of the doll and began crying uncontrollably as she shivered in the cold night air.

"I want my mommy and daddy, Pantin!" She wailed, her sobs echoing into the dolls' hollow chest.

* * *

Naruto wandered aimlessly through the forest, listening carefully for any sign that he had been tailed. Although being Hokage was beyond amazing, he had to admit that the constant watch was kind of annoying. He had almost no free time, and the time that he did, he spent with Hinata. They had gotten married and even had a child – a wonderful son named Minato, in honor of his father. He had the same blonde hair that seemed to run in the males of his family, but he had Hinata's wonderful eyes. He could never stop calling his son a beauty.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard some slurred, wailed words somewhere off in the distance. His head snapped to the right and he squinted through the trees. Sighing to himself, he decided he better take a look, otherwise the quilt might eat him alive. So, straightening his white and red flamed jacket, he moved off the beaten path and pushed his way through the trees.

"I want my mommy and daddy, Pantin!" A small light blonde girl, no more than five, wailed into the chest of a puppet. Naruto tensed immediately – he hated fighting Puppet Masters. He knew the girl looked to be only five, but he also knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. Sighing softly once again, he pushed through the last of the trees and ended up standing slightly behind the girl.

"Hey, kid, you all right?" He muttered, the question coming out less friendly than he had intended it. She whipped her head to face him, her tear-streaked eyes meeting his in total terror. Before he could tell her that he meant no harm, the doll had snapped in front of her and she had jumped a good three feet away. He tensed but tried to keep a calm face, determined not to get into a fight with a small child.

"Hey, I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me your name, and maybe I can get you back to your parents. I'm the Hokage," He explained in an even toned voice, watching as both the girl and puppet looked to soften at his words. The girl let the puppet float behind her, its' wooden arms wrapping around her shoulders protectively.

"You-You mean of the H-Hidden Leaf?" She stuttered, her blue eyes bubbling with tears. He nodded, not trusting himself to say another word lest he scare her away. She sank to her knees almost immediately as he nodded, causing him to dash to her side and catch her gently in his arms.

"M-My mommy and d-daddy a-are –" She started to wail again, burying herself against his chest as her puppet floated behind him. Soon, the chakra threads faded and the doll fell to the ground, as he was almost positive she fell asleep in his arms. He picked her up, then tossing the doll over his shoulder and walking back to the path.

Damn him for having such a soft heart.

* * *

Her eyes flitted open and her blurry vision landed on the ceiling. She let her head fall to the side, her blonde bangs falling slightly on her face as she saw Pantin sitting in the chair next to her. She weakly lifted her hand and watched as he waved to her playfully, acknowledging that she was awake. She groaned at the action, her tired muscles protesting feebly to the chakra use. She let the threads die out, Pantin sagging in the chair as he 'went to sleep'.

"Glad to see you're awake," The same blonde man stated, causing her eyes to snap to him. She smiled weakly, remembering that he had been the man that had saved her and Pantin.

"Thank you, Mister, for saving me and Pantin," She smiled, sitting up as he came to sit on the bed by her feet. His bright blue eyes burned with determination and she suddenly knew that he was a very powerful ninja. She also noticed how fun his hair would be to mess up.

"Do I get to know your name? Mine's Naruto, Sixth Hokage," He smiled, his smile wide and nearly spreading over his whole face. She giggled at this, her small hand coming to cover her mouth sheepishly.

"Mine's Nakamura, but most just call me Naka," She smiled widely, getting a pat on the leg from the man. His smile dimmed but didn't leave his face as he began to talk.

"Well, Naka, can you tell me where you're from? Maybe why you were out in the middle of the forest so late at night?" His question was said with a smile, but almost instantly she could feel the tears begin again. She wanted to hold them back, to smile for him, but she knew that if she did that, her daddy would have told her never to hide anything. Hiding emotions was bad, wasn't it?

"M-My parents were lying on the ground and I couldn't wake them up! They were in a big puddle of red and I told them that if they didn't move, our housekeeper would be angry with them for making such a mess. Then I ran cuz a mean man was chasing me and I didn't know what to do. My parents told me to run away from strangers. I didn't run away from you, Mister Naruto, cuz you seem nice. I want my mommy and daddy!" She wailed, tears pouring from her eyes. Without thinking, Naruto moved closer and held her in his arms, making soothing noises as she slowly calmed down.

"Well, Naka, I think I could look into finding your parents, so long as you promise to tell me where you live. I also think that I know someone who would love to play with you until we can find them, all right?" He smiled, as she nodded weakly, wiping the tears from her eyes with some newfound courage. He pulled her from the bed, still holding her before she asked to be set down. She pulled the doll, he assumed was named 'Pantin' to her side and he looped around her shoulders.

He took her hand and they walked through the halls of the building before they exited into the village. He smiled as she looked to buildings in awe. He knew then that she must be from the Sand, or somewhere close in terrain. They walked through the village and soon came to his house, only to be greeted by a smiling Hinata and small Minato. Minato ran out and threw himself at his father, causing Naruto to wrap his arms tightly around the boy and drop Naka's hand.

"Who do we have here, Naruto?" Hinata asked as she came out of the house as well, smiling brightly to Naka. Naka blushed and hid behind Naruto, Pantin floating in front of her in an almost sheepish way.

"Daddy, can I go play with her?" Minato asked eagerly, and without waiting for an answer, walked over to the puppet and stuck out his hand for a handshake. "Hi ! I was wondering if I could maybe play with the nice girl behind you!" He shouted the words, loud and boisterous as both Naka and the puppet seemed to study him in curiosity. For a 7 year old, he sure did have a lot of guts.

"My name is Nakamura," She whispered, Pantin moving back to curl around her shoulders. Minato laughed and threw himself at her, tackling her to the ground as they both erupted into laughter.

"Mine's Minato! I'm the son of the Hokage and one of the best mommies in the world! Do you wanna come play with me!?" He shouted in her face, getting a flustered reaction out of the small girl before he took her by the hand and pulled her and the puppet into the house.

Both adults watched them go with wonder in their eyes before Hinata moved to his side.

"Who is she?" She whispered, watching through a window as her son smiled and laughed loudly as he tackled Naka again.

"She's a girl I found last night crying in the woods. From what she told me, her parents were murdered and, from what I can gather, she lived in the Sand Village. I have to go talk to Gaara, make sure that everything is okay down there," Naruto stated, placing a small kiss on her forehead before backing away with a smile.

"Take your time, I'm sure Minato will tire out in about a week," She smiled, waving as he took off down the road and she entered the house.

"No! Minato! Pantin is not for playing with!" Naka shouted as she tore the doll away from Minato's eager hands.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note: Apparently I liked it enough to write a second chapter. So, here it be. :P Enjoy.**_

Chapter Two

Naruto took one look at the Sand Village and knew that everything most certainly was _not _okay. The village was almost completely in ruins and he saw Nin running everywhere, urgent looks plastered on all of their faces. Without thinking, Naruto began pushing through the crowds of people, looking frantically for Gaara.

"Sixth Hokage! What are you doing here?" Someone asked, placing a hand on his arm and stopping him in his tracks. His frantic eyes met a young man's, confusion lacing his eyes before he realized it was one of Gaara's body guards.

"Where is the Kazekage? Where is Gaara?" Naruto demanded, forgetting the man's question and instead returning it with one of his own. The Nin let sorrow show in his face and that was when Naruto knew he would dread the answer.

"We don't know. We have not been able to locate either him or his wife. His daughter was seen running away somewhere, but we have a search party out now," The man explained, to which Naruto only cursed loudly.

"Is his daughter's name Nakamura?" The Hokage practically shouted the question, only getting a flustered look from the Nin. "Damn it, answer the question!"

"Yes! Yes, his daughter is Nakamura!" The Nin replied to which Naruto balled his hands into fists and let loose another stream of curses. He took off running again, heading straight to the Kazekage's house and pushing through the rubble. There was not much to dig through, only a large boulder in front of the doorway.

"Gaara! If you're in there, I really need you to answer me!" Naruto shouted, pulling back from the rock and balling a small Rasengan in his hand. He connected with the rock and it exploded loudly into a cascade of dust. As soon as the heavy air cleared, Naruto dashed in with the body guard hot on his heels.

"Gaara!" Naruto spotted the redhead curled protectively around his blonde wife. Naruto could never remember her name, now something he sincerely felt guilty for. Naruto fell to his knees beside the Kazekage, rolling him over gently as the body guard frantically called for a medic.

"Naru-Naruto?" Gaara stuttered, his weak and pale body contrasting brightly to the pool of dry blood underneath him. Naruto could tell that his wife was long dead, but somehow Gaara had clung to life.

"Hang in there, okay? You just need to –" Naruto was cut off as Gaara interjected.

"Where is Naka? Where's my daughter?" Gaara asked with newfound desperation in his voice. Naruto wanted to tell him to calm down but knew he would be just as worried.

"She's fine, she's with Hinata in the Leaf. Playing with Minato," Naruto smiled, knowing then that there was nothing a Med Nin could do. Gaara had only held on because of Naka.

"She… She still has Pantin, doesn't she?" He asked weakly, his mint eyes slowly fluttering shut.

"Yes. Gaara, I –"

"Please take care of her, Naruto. Please." Gaara locked eyes with the blonde, his blood-soaked body looking weak and the exact opposite image of the powerful Kazekage he really was.

"Gaara, who attacked you?" Naruto asked, his concern finally bringing his voice to crack and tears to threaten his eyes. Gaara said nothing, his head lolling to the side.

"Promise, Naruto, that you will raise Naka," Gaara whispered, his deep voice failing him. Naruto wanted to shout at the man to stay awake, wanted to yell that it was not his time to go.

"Of course, Gaara. Anything for an old friend," He whispered, setting Gaara down next to his wife. He watched as the redhead curled around her pale frame, his head buried in her blonde hair. Just as he sighed his last breath, the Med Nin came rushing in. Naruto pushed her away, saying that they had both passed on. He told them to contact all the Kage's and set a meeting for tomorrow in the Leaf.

They had to find out who would take his position. And what would happen to his daughter.

Naka knew that when Naruto returned with such a sad look on his face that things could only be bad. It had been a few days since she had last seen him, but she had been playing with Minato the whole time. Hinata had been really nice too, but she didn't really like her as much as her own mommy. She wanted to, but Hinata was just not as good for her. Minato seemed to really like her, though, so she supposed she had to be an okay mommy.

Naruto came in the house, completely forlorn and drained. He didn't say anything to Hinata, simply went straight to Naka and crouched down to her height. Behind her, Pantin dropped into a chair as she concentrated solely on him.

"Naka, there is something you must know about your mother and father. They… They both have died," Naruto stated, tears clenching his throat up and threatening for tears to show again. He knew he had to be strong for Naka, though. He had to.

"But daddy was the Kazekage! Daddy can't be dead!" She cried, protesting his statement feebly. At this remark, Hinata gasped in realization before taking Minato in her arms and leaving the room.

"I know it's hard to believe, kiddo, but these things happen…. Your dad told me to look after you. Would you mind that?" Naruto asked, stroking her hair out of her face gently. She was holding back tears, which he could tell by the wavering depths of her eyes.

"N-Naruto! You can't replace my daddy! He was my daddy first! And Ms. Hinata can't replace my mommy! My mommy was mine first!" She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Without her even thinking about it, Pantin was around her shoulders, hugging her reassuringly.

"I don't ever want to replace Gaara. No one could. All I am asking is if you would like to live with us, all right? Your dad would be furious if I let you say no," Naruto explained, his eyes locking with hers as he patted the top of her head gently. She cringed at the contact, but said nothing for a while.

"Who's gonna replace daddy? He wouldn't let just nobody take over, ya know," She mumbled, wiping her eyes as a few stray tears trailed down her cheeks. Naruto sighed heavily at this, standing up and moving to stare out the window. She wondered what he saw, but decided it was none of her business.

"That's another thing I have to ask you, kiddo. It's a very grown-up decision, too," He looked back to her, waiting until she nodded for him to continue. "You are the one and only heir to that title. Do you think you could take it when you're older?"

Silence fell in the room then, Naka staring deeply into her eyes as Pantin clung to her shoulders. She looked away then, drifting to the floor. Her shoulders sagged and she let loose a breath she had not even known she was holding.

"Daddy… Did daddy want me to be?" She asked, timidly hiding behind her bangs again.

"I think he would have, yes," Naruto agreed, turning his back to the window and facing her fully now. She suddenly looked up to him, all sign of weakness gone and tears completely leaving her eyes. She looked to him like she had just found her determination and now had a fire burning in her soul.

"I'll do it for daddy. I'll become the Kazekage for daddy," She declared, her eyes burning as they locked with his.

_I won't ever let you down, daddy._

* * *

**~ Ten Years Later ~**

Naka studied herself in the mirror, determined to find the exact spot that her headband belonged. She had already tried it around her neck, but to her that made her hair look weird.

Her blonde hair had grown, now falling in loose ringlets all the way down to her waist. She was very curvaceous as well, something she assumed she got from her mother. Her mint-green eyes had matured, holding deep determination that only someone in the Uzumaki household was known for. She wore a light outline of eyeliner around them, her black outfit going well with it.

She wore a mesh shirt that only covered her breasts and stopped just below them. Black fabric was under the mesh, covering what needed to be covered, and then allowing the mesh to cover it. On her lower arm, she had cut off sleeves that tied on with a black buckle and bellowed out in a dark mint color. Her skirt was much the same – black leggings covering a very little amount of the creamy skin of her thighs with a dark mint covering it at the same short length. Her black sandals went all the way up to just past her knees and that was probably the most covering article of clothing she wore.

"Naka! Hurry up! Do you want to be late for your first team meeting?" Minato shouted at her from downstairs, getting her to cringe slightly. She mumbled something under her breath before tying the headband around her head and pulling out her bangs to cover her right eye.

"Yeah, yeah! Coming!" She growled back, grabbing her newly improved puppet and strapping it to her back. She then dashed down the stairs, getting a few looks from her mother and father.

"What are you wearing?" Naruto was the first to ask, studying her curiously s his spoonful of half eaten cereal dangled in his hand. Hinata smacked him on the back of the head, looking Naka over with more approval than her father.

"I told her she could wear it. Get your jaw off the floor," Hinata teased, watching as Naruto averted his eyes and continued eating. Naka laughed, shouting her goodbye's as she ran out the door with Minato close behind.

"Ready, lil' sis?" Minato asked, punching her lightly on the arm. Naka laughed, nudging him back just as forcefully.

"Who wouldn't be?"

_I won't ever let you down, dad._


End file.
